The mountains and rivers bear witness, the old fires still burn Chapter Twenty-One: The Grand Competition of Three Counties

“Old acquaintance,” Chen Zhiming murmured to himself, then looked at the man again. “You’ve brewed our tea as well. I wonder, are we considered new guests or old friends?”

The man replied, “The child of an old friend is an old friend still. But since you wish to be a new guest, let me pour you a cup of new tea. You shall be the first new guest we receive.”

Chen Zhiming stepped forward, watching as the man prepared the tea. He muttered, “Let new flames try new tea, so as not to waste the years.”

The man paused at these words, then burst into hearty laughter. Behind the house, a slovenly man nodded in satisfaction, pleased with the youth and the place.

The man finished brewing the tea and handed it to Chen Zhiming.

“Thank you,” Chen Zhiming said, taking the cup and gazing at his surroundings, finally fixing his gaze on the curtain beyond.

The man smiled, “Curious about what’s behind there, aren’t you?”

“In such a place, how could one not be curious?” Chen Zhiming took a sip of tea and continued, “But curiosity is curiosity; I’m not one to dig too deep.”

Seeing that Chen Zhiming had no further questions, the man turned back into the house. As he departed, he said, “Feel free to do as you please.”

After finishing their tea, the three took their leave and walked through the alley once more. Chen Zhiming noticed subtle changes around them, but said nothing, hastening the others along. Once their figures vanished at the end of the alley, several shadows appeared within.

One of them glanced at the slovenly man and asked, “Is this the youth you wanted us to protect?”

The slovenly man looked at him. “What, thinking of backing out? If you want to leave now, I won’t stop you.”

The other quickly explained, “I’m not regretting it, but he’s so frail—he could be crushed with a single hand. This task is difficult.”

The slovenly man frowned, gazing toward the alley’s entrance. “That person spared his life back then. His arrogance is just to see how far he can go. Who knows how much longer these peaceful days will last.”

On the street, Chen Zhiming sensed something odd in the air, though he couldn’t pinpoint what. He hurried the other two along and left quickly. When he returned to the small courtyard, he found the slovenly man waiting beneath the tree, holding a jug of wine.

Chen Zhiming told the little girl to go inside first. Watching the slovenly man approach, he asked coolly, “Uncle, do you have something to discuss?”

“You brat,” the man tapped his head lightly. “Can’t I come see you for nothing?”

Chen Zhiming hurried to clarify, “Uncle, I didn’t mean that! Of course you can come. Whenever you want, just—”

The slovenly man cut him off, handing him an envelope.

“What’s this?” Chen Zhiming took it, puzzled.

“See for yourself,” the man said, then fell silent.

Chen Zhiming opened the envelope.

“A grand competition among three counties? And it’s a literary contest?”

Chen Zhiming looked at him, pointing to the envelope. “Uncle, what does this mean?”

The slovenly man explained, “This is a competition initiated by the Prince of the Prefecture. Simply put, it’s a contest for the younger generation of the three counties. It’s divided into literary and martial contests; we chose the literary one. The winner will be exceptionally admitted as a student to Tianyu Academy. The competition has two stages: within the county and between counties. The internal contest is just among our own; the real contest is external.”

Chen Zhiming looked at him, probing, “So you’re giving me this to let me join the internal contest?”

“No,” the slovenly man shook his head.

“Phew… That’s good,” Chen Zhiming breathed a sigh of relief, his worries easing. If he had to compete, he’d surely be crushed, and he needed to earn money to care for his mother and sister—where would he find time? But if not, why was the uncle delivering this letter? Just as he was about to ask, the slovenly man spoke first, “After much deliberation, the County of Lingwu has unanimously decided to have you represent us in the contest. The county lord himself said so, and no one objected. I’m here to notify you to prepare. The official contest is four months from now; you have time to get ready.”

He took another envelope from his coat. “This is the formal notice. In a few days, everyone in the county will know. Be prepared; the necessary materials will be delivered tomorrow.”

He turned to leave, but Chen Zhiming grabbed his sleeve. “Uncle, is there any way out of this? I need to earn money, I don’t have time—can I refuse?”

The slovenly man seemed to have expected this. He replied, “This is decided by the county lord and the Prince—there’s no rejecting it. Besides, during the contest, you’ll get fifty taels daily as a stipend. If you win first place, you’ll receive a thousand taels of silver.”

“A thousand taels?” Chen Zhiming was stunned. Such a sum would last him ten years, perhaps even half a lifetime if not for his mother’s medicine.

He looked at the slovenly man with righteous sincerity, “Uncle, you should have said so sooner! For matters contributing to the county, you can always count on me. Please send my regards to the county lord.”

For the first time, the slovenly man was left speechless by Chen Zhiming. The boy usually appeared upright, but who would have guessed he could be so shameless?

He shook his head and departed, eager to escape the cheeky remarks trailing behind him.

“Take care, Uncle.” Once the man was gone, the smile faded from Chen Zhiming’s face. He gazed into the distance, murmuring, “I never wished for this… I fear I can’t remain uninvolved now.” Lately, he’d sensed something amiss. From merchants and travelers, he’d heard that the other six prefectures were also holding such competitions, even the great cities were involved.

He suspected it was the will of the one seated on that chair. For him to issue such a command, something significant must have occurred. Though Chen Zhiming didn’t know what, he realized that once involved, it would be hard to extricate himself. Still, this was beyond his control now, and all he could do was adapt.

He stood at the courtyard gate for a long time, until a small hand slipped into his palm.

“Brother, the wind’s picking up. Shall we go inside?” The little girl had appeared at his side without him noticing.

Chen Zhiming looked at her, squeezed her hand. A leaf, shaken loose by the wind, drifted down before him. He watched it fall.

“Yes, the wind is rising. It’s time to go home.”

In the distance, the slovenly man walked up to an elder, both gazing toward the horizon.

“Well? He accepted?”

“Yes. Now it’s up to you to weed out the other participants.”

The elder stroked his beard with a smile, “Rather than waiting for death, you finally decided to let him step out and have a try.”

The slovenly man replied, “One cannot defy age. You’re old, and I’m nearly there myself. We no longer have the hot blood of our youth. Our sword hands have rusted, and we can’t fight anymore, but we can still clear a path for these young sword sprouts and sharpen their blades.”

The elder looked at him as if hearing something unbelievable, surprise written on his face.

Seeing the elder’s stare, the slovenly man stepped back uneasily, muttering, “Why are you looking at me like that? I have no interest in men, and even less in old men.”

The elder gazed at him, lost in thought, as if seeing the past: the self-assured man who claimed to be unrivaled, his youthful vigor.

“Gentle as jade, unmatched in the world; at the City God Temple, he beheaded the City God; at Jiangling, fought a hundred ship